The noise was constant. Cars whooshing by, engines roaring, voices blurring — the pulse of downtown Ogden never pausing. In the aftermath of her former husband’s death by suicide, Amber Zaugg, founder of Atlas Tea Company, felt stranded inside that noise, in her own hometown.

“In those crushing moments,” she says, “my children and I had such a hard time finding our way through. The outside world felt so loud and inhospitable. We needed to be soothed, to find a safe place we didn’t even know existed.”

Yet, Amber found solace in the ancient ritual of making tea. Its comforting warmth helped her slow down and see more clearly. And the idea for a teahouse emerged — a refuge where not only her family, but anyone, could feel less alone.

“I knew the teahouse had to be on a main corridor,” says Amber. “Not on the outskirts of the chaos, but in the heart of it.”

In the autumn of 2024, Amber and her children, Emma and Chandler, opened Atlas Tea Company on Washington Boulevard, known as the ‘Vard.’

When you step inside Atlas, the noise quiets. The rush of the street disappears. And you can finally exhale in its restful expanse.

Working alongside an interior design team, Emma, a visual artist and graphic designer, helped shape the space. Colors of sage green, ivory, and chestnut calm you. Lights float from lifted ceilings, while singing bowls rest in the back. The fragrance of tea enfolds you. And the music simply belongs.

“I remember sitting with my mom and listening to piano pieces,” shares Emma. “And I just knew that’s what we needed. The simplicity, the clarity, and beauty of the notes matches how we feel when we are here.”

Emma’s art is purposeful. Her ink illustrations adorn every tea package and aspect of Atlas — celebrating the herbs, spices, and fruits that have nourished lives for centuries. Her logo cradles a globe in a cup, expressing what it means to nurture all people.

For customer Ash Zephyr, Atlas brings belonging and renewal. “Sipping tea here is a spiritual experience,” he shares. “It’s an oasis of familiarity, of family, in a strange desert. I can be still, and receive a sense of well-being. It’s healing.”

For Ash, and so many others, Atlas is about caring for people and community.

At a recent gathering, Chandler read from his literary work, Into the Rest. Before he began, he spoke of what called him to write.

“None of us were there at the moment my father died,” Chandler says. “But I visited him to say goodbye earlier that day. When we got the call, I felt the breath leave my body. I felt like I was gone too.”

Into the Rest follows the journey of a young girl searching for peace as she struggles with the loss of her father. With love and friendship by her side, she feels his presence again — and begins to feel less lost in her grief.

As Chandler read, the ethos of Atlas came into view: that if we zoom out, if we widen our lens and share our fears and uncertainty, we can see more, hear more, understand more, and love more — of ourselves, and one another. We begin to realize that we matter. 

Together, the Zauggs are building a teahouse that feels deeply human — where anyone can find a sense of restoration and their own connection to tea.

“For me, tea is an invitation to listen,” says customer Celeste Francis Campbell. “If you sit with tea long enough, it will share its story, and inspire you to return to yourself.”

And in every story, tea conveys the essence of the cultures and landscapes from which it came. Through tastings, Atlas welcomes this world of tea home. 

You might sample a ruby-red Turkish pomegranate rose, traditionally served in tulip-shaped glasses as a symbol of abundance and good fortune. Or sip Argentina’s bold, minty yerba maté, shared from a gourd through a silver bombilla — a centuries-old gesture of hospitality and friendship. And from the steep mountains of Asia, oolongs layered with notes of wisteria, peach, and blackberry sage will bestow gifts of harmony and life’s fullness in every cup.

“As the conversation and tea flow, you feel such a vibrant connection — with the tea, and with everyone around you,” says Arabella Zephyr, Ash’s wife. “It’s joyous.”

And this is the spirit of Atlas: a place where tea becomes a companion — through grief and healing, through joy and everyday life — where belonging deepens with every gathering, and every act of care.

Nearly a year has passed since Atlas Tea opened. The noise on the ‘Vard’ is still unrelenting, but for Amber, it feels different now. “Healing isn’t about escaping the noise,” she says softly. “It’s about making a home within it.”

Feature image by Emma Zaugg.